This mountain biker is a staunch proponent of running tubeless tires. I am from Colorado where goathead thorns are prevalent and present a constant threat of flat tires. I have used Stan’s sealant for over twenty years with very satisfactory results. I remember once riding the famed 401 Trail in Crested Butte and slashing the sidewall of a two-year old tire on a sharp rock. No brand of tire sealant could prevent a flat from that kind of damage. But I amazed friends by using needle-nosed pliers to pull 72 thorns – some up to a half-inch long – from the carcass of the tire. And these were just the thorns embedded in the tire. There was no way of telling how many other punctures the tire had experienced from thorns that pulled away from the tire. Now fast-forward to the present. I have been mountain biking in Oaxaca for nine years and have at times pulled inch-long thorns from my tires, but have never suffered a flat tire — until yesterday. Pedaling along a city street I ran over a long nail that first penetrated the tread and then punctured the sidewall. Stan’s sealant tried to plug the holes and allowed me to ride back to my home. But the tire would no longer hold air for any length of time. So it was off to the bike shop for a new tire and a fresh fill-up with Stan’s.
The next day I did a 27 mile ride through the countryside of the west Etla valley with a couple of friends. I shared my story with them. Amazingly, Albi recounted he had just put a new tire on his bike after having exactly the same experience — namely, picking up a nail that embedded in the tread and penetrated the sidewall of his front tire. Talk about a coincidence! But just like me, this was his first flat tire after many years riding the trails and byways of Oaxaca, thanks to riding tubeless with sealant in his tires.